The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-02-12
EDITORIAL 8riets.
BYsREV. /. M. ATWOOD. D. D.
Canton, N. Y.

Such man does not need memorial
but he demands it. A denomination
blessed by the life and service Of SO rare
q spirit would betray discreditable in.
sens1b1lity not to desire to prolong his
gracious influence. Death emphasizes life
Ii the life was good that welcome fact
was never so transparent and significant
If it was bad, how pitiable death makes
1t appear! 1t is natural sugges ton of
piety to take advantage of the revelation
death makes to perpetuate the memory
and widen the influence of those who
stand forth in that TRANSPORTATION, pure
beautiful and strong.
The graceful Memorial" seems to
us altogether fitting. 1t is modest, deli
cate, sincere. The Sketch, filling eighty
five pages of the Memorial" is from the
hand-we should not err if we said the
heart-of his intimate friend, the Rev. @.
Il. Moor. 1t reflects, as from mirror,
Sumner Ellis as he impressed himself on
one OF kindred spirit who knew him in
all his moods and aspirations. The dis
courses that follow the Sketch bring the
lamented author even more wildly be-
fore the minds OF those who knew him.
His spiritual discernment, his unfailinQ
sense OF literary propriety, his catholic
temper, his acquaintance with books. his
appreciation of art, his love of nature
his deep, unappeased longings,- all re-
appear here as we knew and admired them
in the living man.
The article with which the February
North American Revie,c opens is by
Prof. Ely, OF Johns Hopkins University,
and it is on the great topic of Political
Economy. These two circumstances,
properly raise expectations as to the quail
lty and Importance Of the paper. But
the paper itself is meager. 1t bears the
marks OF hasty preparation, and of hav-
ing been written to order. A much more
thorough treatment, in better literary
form is frequently to be met with in the
"leader" OF daily newspaper. Prof. Ely
Is well acquainted with the subject and
has some valuable and rather original
ideas on it-as we know from what he
has said elsewhere. But in this article
he discovers disposition to fall to the
standard the Revie,o has of late emulat-
ed.
The charge which DIR. Hervey brings
against the prevalent Sunday school
teaching, particularly under the Interna-
tional regime, has much force He charges
that it docs not put the emphasis on
Christianity; it gives too much time to
the study of the Old Testament and con-
sequently too little to the New. This is
fact which cannot be gainsaid, and it is
unfortunate. The very great advantages
of the method of the International Series
and of studying uniform lesson, are
nearly overbalanced by false theory in
the selection of the lessons. Mr.. Hervey
is right in saying that we ought to teach
our children our own religion rather than
that of the Jews. The gospel, the life
and words of Jesus should be central and
predominant. Next in importance should
stand the Acts and Epistles. Subsidiary
and illustrative of these, let the Old Tes-
lament be taught. We have been hopinQ
for years that the Committee who select
the International lessons would perceive
this simple truth.
Bishop Doane, speaking for the Epis-
copal church, says: "We hold, that any
baptism, administered in water, in the
name of the Father, and of the Son and
of the Holy Ghost, carries with it the
gift of regeneration, and makes the per-
son baptized, adult or child, membe of
Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor
of the kingdom of heaven" We should
like to know whether Bishop Doane's fell
low churchmen generally accept this
extra Biblical, hyper-sacerdota doctrine.
1t Is amazing how much logical and eth
ical and spiritual mon -compossibility" a
man can profess, and still keep up the
appearance of sanity.
The thirty thousand striking long
shoremen and laborers in New York are
represented as saying, "per ORDER" that
the struggle they are making Is in behalf
OF their ragged and starving children"
One wonders how ragged and starving
children are helped by the idleness Of
their fathers. 1t would be interesting,
also, to know whether, as matter of fact,
there is single instance of rags and
starvation amocg the families of these
men not connected with drink. Over
and over investigation has resulted in
proving that rags and starvation, on the
part of striking workinRman, is due,
not to the small wages he receives, but to
the fact that he spends 30 large part Of
them at the saloon.
That there is very large and influ-
ential sympathy with the indicted, tried
and unsentenced Andover professors, is
apparent. This sympathy exists in Con-
gregational churches and among Congre-
gational ministers. The only prominent
organ of it is the Christian Union, which
adheres consistently to the broad gauge
it took at the beginning. The other
Congregational papers of influence are
strongly the other way, the Iadepend-
emf, whose traditions are all with " Pro-
gressive Orthodoxy" having latterly fall
len from grace and exhibited extra
ordinary maligHity toward the Andover
professors. This is significant, not as